Cody Jamieson gets the green light to suit up for Syracuse University men's lacrosse team

Syracuse, NY -- The soap opera that has been Cody Jamieson's attempt to gain eligibility for the Syracuse University men's lacrosse team apparently is over. A source close to Jamieson revealed this morning that the player has been granted a waiver by the NCAA and will be eligible to play when No. 2 Syracuse (10-2) travels to No. 15 Massachusetts at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

That noted, a phone call to Orange head coach John Desko seeking confirmation has not been returned yet. Mike Morrison, the school's media contact for men's lacrosse, said in an email response that he has some calls out and will update me.

Jamieson is a junior with two seasons of eligibility remaining, counting this season. He led Onondaga CC to two undefeated national titles in 2006-07 while scoring 237 points, winning the 2007 JUCO Male Athlete of the Year Award and the 2007 Tom Longboat Award as the male Aboriginal Athlete of the Year.

His exodus to Syracuse then began, as he hoped to follow in the footsteps of SU senior close defender and fellow Six Nations (Ontario) native Sid Smith. Smith became an All-American in his first season with the Orange last year, helping the team win its 10th Division I national championship.

Jamieson was granted admission to SU in January and began to practice with the team but needed a waiver from the NCAA regarding his credits before gaining eligibility to play in games. As the frustrating process dragged on Desko talked less and less about it, believing the constant talk would be a distraction. While Jamieson stood on the sideline and waited, junior Chris Daniello and redshirt freshman Tim Desko have split time at the left-handed attack position and have produced a solid 26 goals in 12 games.

That noted, Jamieson's potential impact is significant, even at this late stage of the season. I saw him play at OCC, and he was by far the most dominant player in the JUCO ranks. He isn't very big but is a powerful player who was nearly unstoppable any time he decided to go to the cage. Great hands, great stick, great vision and a great feel for the game. Not Mike Powell flashy but potentially just as productive. Many pro lacrosse experts predicted he would be the top player selected in the NLL (box) draft had he decided against continuing his quest to get into SU.

John Desko had expressed concern about the player's conditioning earlier in the season but noted that he looked much better in recent practices when I asked about the player last week.